Commercial Fishermen-Apostles As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20 He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8:25 Jesus’ first choice for disciples and apostles were commercial fishermen. Have you ever met a commercial fisherman? I know a few. If I were gathering holy men, my first choice would not be commercial fishermen. Have you ever heard them talk? Their language, jokes, and some of their actions can make a salty sailor wince. The only thing stronger than their vocabulary is probably the smell of fish on them. Now don’t get me wrong, these are dedicated, hardworking, strong, quick thinking, and team-oriented men. I guess these were the characteristics Jesus was looking for. These men spent three years with Jesus. I am guessing that they didn’t become instant holier-than-thou types but remained just a little rough around the edges. I don’t think they started out with King James Version speech. They were not quite ready to get up and speak about the kingdom of God; they had quite a bit of training to undergo. Miss Manners wasn’t around back then to teach them etiquette. Pop psychology wasn’t around either to help them get in touch with their inner child. No Henry Higgins to teach them pronunciation. Remember when the apostles were out in their fishing boat and the storm broke out? That scene captivates me. I can see Jesus, curled up asleep, maybe with an old sail as his blanket, the water rushing into the boat, the sound of thunder, the sight of deadly lightning, fishermen scurrying around, bailing the large, floundering craft. What do you suppose the fishermen-apostles were saying? “Oh gee, thou art in quite a predicament. Please, Peter, passeth me thine bucket.” You think they added, “If we art saved from the storm, it is God’s will”? Not from the sound of the text. They were freaking out; they were being hard-edged, commercial fishermen. I am guessing the language of these men may have gone back to earlier days, and it might have curled some hair. These guys were hollering and screaming, trying to save each other’s lives. They woke Jesus, who watched the insanity and heard the fear in the men’s voices. Jesus stood up and rebuked the storm. He told it to stop. The men were stunned. Then, Jesus looked at the men in the now still waters and said, “What’s wrong?” No, he said, “Where is your faith?” I can imagine the looks, the questions, and the glazed-over eyes. “Huh? Who is this guy?” Well, you may or may not believe this, but I am still a little rough around the edges at times. I am a work in progress. Coming to Christ is what I needed, although I didn’t and haven’t become a saint overnight. There are times when there are storms in my life. If Jesus were in front of me, he might ask, “Where is your faith?” I might have asked him questions like “Were you sleeping? Did you see what was happening?” He would have watched me run around, reacting with no clear direction. I might have even sounded like a salty sailor, through fear and panic. Like the apostles, we have all had storms in our lives. I don’t know about you, but I know there have been times I worried and panicked before calling on Jesus for rescue. He is right here; the key to peace in life during these storms is faith in God. Our Father is here for us, which is part of Jesus’ message.” So far, my best decision is to turn to God. Why don’t I always think about that? Do you? Am I alone in this? Jesus showed us what to do in a storm. Turn to the Father, ask for peace, ask for quiet, and ask the waves to stop coming over the boat. After the storm had quieted, Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?” Do you suppose they were embarrassed? Do you suppose some of them said, “Ahh, we knew you would come through? We were only kidding”?. Do you think they beat themselves up a bit for their lack of faith and that Jesus even had to ask? I get like that, although God always comes through. God loves me, and Jesus said if I come to the Father in his name, my prayer will be answered. How do I forget that? Today, I will put my faith in God. Through the storms I may encounter, I know when I ask the storm will be under God’s control. I have nothing to worry about. The sun will come out; the sea will be calm. Then I will be able to go to God and say, “Thank you” and not have to answer the question “Where is your faith?” God Bless Ken Jones
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:33:29 +0000
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